1. Field
This application related generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to allocating resources for control and data transmissions.
2. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, data, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., bandwidth and transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems.
Control channels and data channels may be used to transmit information in certain communication systems. In some communications systems, such as LTE, a resource grid is used to describe a slot used to transmit a signal. A resource block may include a plurality of resource elements. A group of resource elements is known a resource block. Currently, the number of resource blocks used for transmitting control information (i.e., a control region) is configured by higher layers in an LTE wireless device protocol stack. However, the number of resource blocks actually needed for control information is variable, and may depend, for example, on a transmission received on the downlink. Thus, statically defining a control region is not efficient as it may lead to a waste of resources.
Moreover, if an odd number of resource blocks are reserved for control information, data may overlap the control information in the control region. Currently, the LTE specifications indicate that data overlapping a control region cannot be transmitted on the same channel as control information. However, as resource blocks in a control region may be reserved but not used, resources may be wasted by prohibiting data traffic from being transmitted at the reserved, unused control channel. It would be desirable to have systems and methods to address these and other shortcomings.